Born in 1947
Turns 79 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1947
1947 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from £21.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from £21.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from £21.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from £21.50
Front Page: United Kingdom edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1947 · United Kingdom
A little history to go with their gift.
Bell Laboratories demonstrated a working transistor, Chuck Yeager flew faster than sound, and Edwin Land showed Polaroid’s instant camera. Each achievement made a difficult technical idea tangible, pointing toward smaller electronics, faster flight and photographs ready within minutes.
What happened in 1947?
The transistor began the age of small electronics
Bell Laboratories demonstrated a working point-contact transistor on 23 December 1947, opening a route beyond bulky vacuum-tube electronics.
The Bell X-1 flew beyond the sound barrier
Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 faster than sound on 14 October 1947, turning a difficult aeronautical problem into a public milestone.
Instant photography reached the shop window
Edwin Land demonstrated Polaroid’s instant camera in 1947, combining optics and chemistry so photographs could develop minutes after exposure.
Princess Elizabeth’s wedding lifted a rationing Britain
Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, giving an austerity-hit Britain a national celebration.
Firsts and new ideas
Edinburgh Fringe begins outside the programme
Eight theatre groups arrived uninvited at Edinburgh’s first International Festival in 1947 and staged performances alongside its official programme.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society · Edinburgh International Festival
Maserati brought the A6 to Geneva
Maserati presented the A6 1500 at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show, introducing its first road-going car after years focused on racing.
Number ones and music in 1947
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
Elton John's story begins in Pinner
Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in Pinner in 1947 and later became Elton John, an internationally known singer and songwriter.
Miles Davis takes charge in the studio
Miles Davis recorded as a leader for the first time in 1947, with Charlie Parker among the musicians on the Savoy session.
Miles Davis Official Site · National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Prices and everyday money in 1947
United Kingdom figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekly earnings per person in the United Kingdom (Bank of England series) | £4 5s 5d per week | GBP per week Bank of England (series republished by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED) |
| sugar (January–June average) | 4d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS per kg) Office for National Statistics |
| flour (January–June average) | 5d | equivalent 2 lb (calculated from ONS per 1.5 kg) Office for National Statistics |
| bread (January-June average) | 2½d | equivalent 1 lb (calculated from ONS 800 g source measure; not historical loaf size) Office for National Statistics |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1947 turns 79 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
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